He will be relying on that other major anti-online gambling pioneer – Sands CEO, Sheldon Adelson. Adelson himself is backing the federal ban on Internet gambling in the US, and Graham will surely need every cent of Adelson’s financial backing if he is to get the nomination.

New Jersey senator, Christie, meanwhile, was instrumental in pushing through legislation that allowed NJ to offer legal online gambling in the state.

However, Christie had a very lively spat with Kentucky senator, Rand Paul, in the recent TV debate, over the proposed Patriot Act. The consensus seems to be that Paul won the argument over wanting to shut down a controversial NSA intelligence-gathering program.

Could Lindsey Graham’s chances of a Republican nod rest on his anti-gambling bill?

Trump Time For the Mogul?

Which brings us to Donald Trump. Part-billionaire, part-mogul, part-pantomime villain, Trump has easily earned more headlines than anyone else in the GOP race.

Whether it’s Mexican immigrants “bringing drugs, crime…they’re rapists” to aiming crass comments on menstruation toward female Fox anchors (and then claiming he was the best candidate for women voters despite slamming Jeb Bush over his proposed spending on women’s health) Trump is no stranger to controversy.

Even conservative campaigners on the right of the party baulked at Trump’s comments, and it’s now thought that the multi-billionaire businessman’s mouth alone could have already cost him his shot.

Despite the various outbursts, pollsters seem to love a buffoon and at time of writing, Trump was leading in the polls. He’s also moved into 6/1 at the bookmakers, the third favorite.

The key thing is whether Trump can actually pull this off, even if he is just saying in the open what many Republican voters think in private. Interestingly, though, a few years ago Trump was every part the liberal. He advocated higher taxes on the rich, a fairer healthcare system based on the Canadian model, and endorsed abortion rights. How things can change.

Trump could probably fund his, and everyone else’s, nomination campaigns. The questions remains just how much sway a $10 billion fortune provides when you can’t keep your mouth shut. If Trump still leads the polls come fall, you might want to take a modest bankroll to Vegas and bet on him to get the nod.

And while we’re on outrageous outcomes, 50/1 on Sarah Palin – a supporter of the billionaire – as running partner might not be the silliest wager ever made.